As of the time of writing, March 11th, 2024, day one of the NFL’s free agency period is coming to a close. Joe Hortiz is in charge of managing the Chargers free agency duties, and his first day was not a disappointment. Let’s get into the moves made by this new regime.
Pre-Free Agency House Cleaning Moves
Before we fully get into day one, it is important the context of what happened before today. These moves give the Chargers a slightly clearer picture of the team before they start really making this team into what this regime wants it to be.
March 5, 2024 – Eric Kendricks Is Released
As many expected, linebacker Eric Kendricks was cut. The aging veteran played a solid season for the Bolts in 2023. Unfortunately, his cap hit of 6.5 million was too much for this regime. The Chargers now look for a full rebuild in their linebacker room. This will likely be spearheaded by now second-year defender, Daiyan Henley.
By this point, they were a Mike Williams cut away from cap compliance, and many expected this to happen right after. That was not the case and still has yet to happen.
March 8, 2024 – Cameron Dicker & Foster Sarell Are Tendered
A few days later Hortiz got back to work. One of these moves was the easiest decision he will make in the off-season. The other is questionable at best.
Let’s start off with Cameron Dicker. He has been nothing short of spectacular for the Bolts and has shown that kicking for this team is possible. He broke what seemed like a curse that was casted on any kicker who stepped foot in the building. The Los Angeles Chargers official website summarizes Dicker’s greatness simply; “One of the most accurate kickers in football, Dicker made 52-of-55 field goals (94.5 pct.) over his first two pro seasons, the best career field goal percentage in NFL history by any player with at least 50 attempts. Dicker made 31 field goals last season, the most in a single season by a Chargers kicker in a decade.”
Moving on to Foster Sarell, who is a backup for a reason. The Stanford product has a lot of talent as a former five-star recruit. He has yet to put it all together. He signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2021. Which makes total sense as to why he was retained. Both Offense Coordinator, Greg Roman and General Manager Joe Hortiz are former Ravens. Roman could very well turn the talented Sarell into something of value in the future, which could lead Hortiz to garner his beloved comp-picks. Though a long shot, a cheap tender could be very much worth that possible outcome.
Both Tenders will be worth $985,000 in 2024. A bargain for an arguably top-5 kicker in the NFL, and a fine value for a low-end developmental swing tackle.
Day One of the Chargers Free Agency – Deliberacy Prevails
Many fans were expecting day one to be a frenzy for Hortiz, with plenty of players being released and many to be gained. Instead, it was a slow, deliberate approach. This intentional approach gives day one of the Chargers’ free agency journey a flexible day two and beyond.
RB, Gus Edwards – A Bus That Nevers Stops
To start off the Chargers’ free agency period, an expected move was made. Gus Edwards has signed a 2-year 6.5 million dollar deal with 3.375 million in guarantees. This replaces the now Washington Commanders’ running back Austin Ekeler. Edwards brings great value for a rusher who is coming off his best season. 810 yards, 13 touchdowns, 4.1 YPC, and 180 yards receiving. The now-former Baltimore Raven has familiarity with the scheme and front office.
It is important to note that Edwards should not stop you from drafting a running back on day three of the NFL draft. He gives you the hammer that every NFL team needs, but does not bring the same type of receiving ability that Ekeler did. Look for Isaiah Spiller to finally get a role in the offense, possibly as a receiving option as he was a good receiver in college.
Furthermore, Edwards will be 29 once the year starts. This is the prime age for runningback regression. To end on an optimistic note, Edwards has 701 fewer touches over his career than Ekeler, so the tread on the tires should not be as apparent as it was with the former Chargers runner.
TE, Will Dissly – An Essential Piece to the Offense
The very next move Hortiz made during day one of the Chargers’ Free Agency period was the signing of Tight End, Will Dissly. The contract is a bit higher than most expected for his market. Coming in as a 3-year 14 million dollar deal that is combined with 10 million in guarantees.
Dissly gives the Chargers a starting option in a barren tight end room. However, the option of taking a tight in the draft still remains very likely. The former Seahawk was rated as the league’s third-highest-graded run blocker at the position. This is exactly what the Chargers have been in need of since Virgil Green left in 2020. The offense is being built by a group of coaches who have preached strength, nastiness, and toughness in the trenches. Dissly’s ability to bring these attributes to the Chargers led to the eventual signing of a very welcomed new offensive roleplayer.
The risk of this deal lies in that Dissly is not much of a receiving threat at this point in his career. Though, he was never touted to be one. His 3.78 RAS score may be very unimpressive, but his skill set as a blocker is seemingly rare to come by and is what the Chargers needed for this offense to play at the level we expect it to.
Will Dissly was drafted with pick 120 of round 4 in the 2018 draft class. He scored a 3.78 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 488 out of 783 TE from 1987 to 2018. #Chargershttps://t.co/52DHVFkL1A https://t.co/dPyusybSev pic.twitter.com/f92fKta7UA
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 11, 2024
Note: Since he was cut by the Seahawks, this signing does not go against the compensatory pick formula. This gives the Chargers a much larger possibility to garner extra picks in 2025.
S, Alohi Gilman – Back Like He Never Left (because he didn’t)
As of 10:00 PST, this is the latest move the Chargers have made during day one of free agency. This might have been the most exciting and wanted one of the day. Alohi Gilman is back with the Bolts, being re-signed for 2 years for 11 million dollars. A larger market than predicted by many, but still a fair value for a young, upcoming safety who showed very good levels of play in his first year as a starter.
In 2023, Gilman missed three games due to injury, but still played 928 snaps, playing both in the box, slot, and mainly as the high safety. In his playtime, he recorded the second-best Chargers defensive grade on the season, with an 86.1. At only 26, with chemistry with Chargers cornerstone, Derwin James, this was a must-have signing for the Chargers Free Agency period.
Fun Fact: Joe Hortiz has retained one Charger in his 41 days as a General Manager. Tom Telesco retained only three in 4032 days.
Conclusion – A Great Start For the 2024 Chargers Free Agency
Unfortunately, the Chargers still need to rip the band-aid off. Many players will be let go of, as we all know by now the poor cap situation we sit at. The positive of such is that resources will be gained, whether it is draft capital or purely cap room. To conclude, Charger fans can sleep well after the first night of an exciting few months to come. Hortiz started off slow but picked up the pace with smart decisive signings to maximize our limited resources.
Main Photo: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
